Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and at once begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, that’s precisely what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, ranging from about roles, relationships, or the merits of forming a youth combat group. Plus, after watching her new multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries additional perspectives on the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for her series, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent Maia. However, the largest presence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, that program focusing on an emerging A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from the cosmic event, a popular occurrence for followers. It was a phase that included her grasp major life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish now. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to achieved the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about LA residents managing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant
